re: Nolan Ryan weighs in on Hamilton quitting tobacco(Posted by DrVinnyBoombatz on 10/10/12 at 3:34 pm to tduecen)

You're right, the whole team didn't do that now look where they are at. Kinsler and Cruz both had pretty bad years, Elvis fell into a big slump the last month, Napoli was injured half the year, and Young shouldn't have even been playing. Murphy and Beltre were pretty much the only consistent hitters all year.

Hamilton refused to take pitches when he was down 0-2 or 1-2. His average was pitiful in those situations. I don't expect him to have a .250 avg in those situations, but it was quite rare to see him battle back to a favorable count the last couple of months.

I'm not even talking about getting on base. If you work the count from 0-2 back to 2-2 or 3-2, chances are greater that you will get a better pitch to hit. David Murphy is very good at doing exactly that.

And Hamilton only had 15 RBIs in September and 1 against Oakland. His series against Oakland was absolutely embarrassing.

Losing Hamilton won't be the end of the world. The FO has shown that losing 1 player won't kill this team.

Yes and no. Lee was the first ace pitcher in Texas since an old Nolan Ryan. Texas has never been known for their pitching, so signing Lee was a huge priority for the FO and was just as big for the fans. There was also mutual interest by both sides, so it's tough to say it was a rental, even though it played out that way.

When Lee signed with Philly, JD and Ryan both said that they were happy with the rotation going forward. So it will be interesting to see if they say the same thing about the roster.

I think, losing Hamilton will hurt about as much as losing Lee. It's tough to say at this moment though, as the moves the FO makes will be extremely important.

re: Nolan Ryan weighs in on Hamilton quitting tobacco(Posted by Baloo on 10/10/12 at 4:56 pm to Lester Earl)

quote: They have no other person to lean on. Beltre alone in that order is scary thought.

Good thing Beltre, Napoli, and Cruz will still be on the team. The Rangers lineup is not a two-man show. It has great table setters in Kinsler and Andrus, about four big bats, and then a smattering of "professional hitters" like Moreland and Murphy. Add Olt and Profar and while it's not the 1939 Yankees, it's still a pretty great lineup.

It's not like the Rangers don't have plenty of experience filling out a lineup without Josh. He gets hurt every year. And this year, he was an anchor for 2/3 of the season. We've seen what the Rangers can do without Hamilton. It was the Rangers offense post-June.

re: Nolan Ryan weighs in on Hamilton quitting tobacco(Posted by Lester Earl on 10/10/12 at 5:05 pm to Baloo)

Napoli is a FA I'm pretty sure.

Cruz finally played a full year. And it was lackluster. He's under contract for 1 more year. He hasn't been someone the rangers could rely on, ever. Whether its injuries or inconsistency. Usually both at the same time. Though he has some incredible hot streaks.

re: Nolan Ryan weighs in on Hamilton quitting tobacco(Posted by tduecen on 10/10/12 at 5:06 pm to Baloo)

Cruz isn't a very good hitter or OBP guy and he has moderate power (20-30 home runs a year), Kinsler is coming off a decline from previous season so does he bounce back at 31, can Napoli stay healthy, is Beltre going to carry the team at 34 years old?

Lot and Profar have potential but they still haven't proven anything yet at the big league level. If they decide to go young then they might as well look into getting rid of Cruz among others.

re: Nolan Ryan weighs in on Hamilton quitting tobacco(Posted by Baloo on 10/10/12 at 5:23 pm to Lester Earl)

quote:He hasn't been someone the rangers could rely on, ever. Whether its injuries or inconsistency. Usually both at the same time. Though he has some incredible hot streaks.

You could say the same thing about Hamilton. He's an incredibly streaky hitter and fragile as well. He's also going to be 32. Napoli will be a free agent but the Rangers will certainly make an effort to re-sign him. Cruz had an OBP of 319 which is pretty much spot on league average. So a 25-30 HR guy with a league average OBP is suddenly a bad thing? In what universe?

Kinsler is the real key. The Rangers have heavily invested in him and they absolutely need him to bounce back.

And Beltre put up better numbers than Hamilton this year, though it's pretty close (but Beltre gets a huge edge for consistency, Hamilton spent most of the year watching his numbers erode from a nuclear hot start). Beltre had to be "the man" THIS year. And he delivered.